Creep
by Applebucker77
Summary: An insight into the heart and mind of our favorite Earth Ninja, and his relationship struggle with a certain Hypnobrai, friendship conflict with a Samurai and her boyfriend, and the unrequited romantic feelings for a certain green-clad Ninja named Lloyd. Step lightly now, it could get ugly. Reviews are welcomed, rating will change, updates will be seldom. Cover art by me.


This is bad. I really hate to say this, but sometimes I just want Kai to die.

No, not die. More like, I want him to just disappear. Like I could wake up, and he wouldn't be there.

I know, it's a horrible thing to say about a teammate. He didn't really do anything wrong... no one did... if anyone did anything wrong, it was probably me. I'm the one with the screwed-up attractions.

How the hell did this happen? I mean, I thought the whole thing with Skales was bad, but now it's much worse.

Wondering what "it" is?

"It" is a long, upsetting story.

"It" started out with the destruction of the Great Devourer. You know, the huge snake monster that cost thousands, if not millions in damage. The thing that ate Pythor and Sensei as if they were nothing more than jellybeans. The thing that decided it would be fantastic to snack on OUR FUCKING HOME.

Anyway, I'm sure you know about the whole fiasco with trying to find a new spot to live.

Picture this. Kai, Zane and I are on an underground train, caught up in hand-to-hand combat with Skalidor, Acidicus, and Fangtom. At the time, we didn't know that Jay was about five minutes away from being crushed into a purple mass of broken bones and entrails.

But as we're making pathetic attempts to beat them off with makeshift weapons, my mind is asking a question to seemingly no one in particular.

Where was Skales?

It was very odd that three of the Serpentine Generals would be here, but not the fourth.

Then again, I couldn't help but feel a sense of relief. If I had to face him in battle, I don't know what I would do, and I hadn't the _slightest_ idea of what he would do.

If you don't know at this point, I should inform you that he and I have... kind of a thing for each other.

As it turns out, the sacred flute wasn't close enough to either of us to fully affect the hypnotic spell he had put on me nearly a year ago. We we neither completely connected, nor were we totally separated. It's been stuck in the middle ever since that day.

Listening to my thoughts is something he can do, but he can't see and hear _everything_ that I do, like it was before. We communicate telepathically, like when he wants me to come down into the Serpentine tunnels to see him after everyone goes to bed.

Are he and I in love? I... think so, but I don't know for sure.

He's always telling me, "Remember thisss, Cole. If you ever decide to misssbehave, I will make it a point to sssee that you and your kind ssssssuffer. With thisss power, I practically own you."

Those words are always running frantically through my mind, especially when I'm trying to lead our team during missions. It's like I can actually _see_ everything he could destroy with the power he's holding over my head.

He can cause me pain, too. If I'm ever thinking about how dangerous the Serpentine are, I get a piercing headache, and it won't go away until I think "nice things" about the Serpentine. Not only that, but when he gets sick or tired or poisoned, I do too. I can't even _begin_ to tell you how embarassing it is to vomit completely out of the blue. Jay still hasn't forgiven me for ruining his hanglider.

I know, it doesn't sound like a healthy relationship. But, strange as it sounds, there are times when he shows... well... affection.

I mean... when we're together, he's really... tender. He'll be gentle when I'm not wearing clothes, he'll warm himself up with a heat lamp before I arrive (I can't stand the cold tunnel), and he can really... rub me the right way, if ya know what I mean.

Yes, I've gone that far with a snake.

As atrocious as it sounds, it's not bad. Kind of exciting, really.

Snakes really are sexually fascinating creatures, and at the end of each visit, we're both totally satisfied with each other (Did I mention that he can use his tail as a whip? It feels great on my... uh... never mind). He's very amorous, and I blush whenever I'm thinking about him doing something sensual to my body. Which, of course, I have to watch out for around my teammates.

As a matter of fact, Nya almost caught me once. I was about halfway to Skales' favorite tunnel, driving through the frozen wastelands. I didn't realize that she was following me until her Exo-suit broke down (I eventually had to drive her home). Anyway, she started scolding me for sneaking out without telling anyone. Thank _God_ the excuse I had been convincing enough, she probably would have killed me if she knew where I had really been going.

As far as I know, she hasn't mentioned it to anyone.

Sorry, I'm getting sidetracked. Where was I? Oh yes, the subway battle.

I was wondering where Skales was, while trying to fend off the Serpentine Generals using only my two hands.

Then Fangtom mentioned that Skales was at our apartment, kidnapping Lloyd.

My heart practically stopped beating right there, and my brain froze, thoughts dangling dully.

For a while, I didn't know what to think, my mind felt numb. It didn't really hit me until we got back to our apartment and Lloyd wasn't there that this had really happened, that Skales had actually used the power he had threatened to use for months.

The only thing I could think of was what Skales could be doing with him right then. Sick thoughts crossed my mind.

I began to feel a crushing pain in my chest. I couldn't believe that Skales would do this to me. For a few minutes, my mind raced as I questioned everything I had ever done with him. All of those wonderful nights, it just wasn't worth it! Losing Lloyd was by far our biggest loss!

A few agonizing, tortuous minutes later, Nya and Sensei returned with Lloyd.

I can't even begin to describe how elated I was. He was okay!

_He was very lucky, _Skales said to me in my mind. _But I'll get him next time._

I didn't know how to respond to that, all I could think about was Lloyd. The apartment wasn't safe anymore, the snakes knew where we lived. As everyone was discussing again about our struggle to pay the rent, I remembered the first place we'd been shown...

"Hold on, guys. I've got a better idea..."

So my motion to head back to the junky little apartment carried, and we settled in that night after moving all of our stuff in.

After everyone but Sensei had gone to bed, I decided to use the silence to contact Skales. It was just killing me, knowing what he'd done to us. It wasn't one of the better conversations we've had.

"Skales? Can you hear me?"

A few minutes of silence ticked by. Then, I heard the familiar echoey voice of my secret lover.

_Hello, dearessst. It'sss about time you ssspoke to me. _

"Don't call me 'dearest', I'm just gonna cut to the chase. I know what you were going to do with Lloyd earlier. And I'm pretty pissed at you."

_What I was doing with him had nothing to do with you. How I govern my tribe shouldn't be any of your concern, and I would be more than grateful if you sssteered clear of my business with Garmadon._

"It had everything to do with me! The kid is _our_ responsibility now, and it is _our_ job to protect him. My team and I are putting our everything into this kid, and we're not about to let a snake bent on revenge to fuck it up. Just please, stay out of it."

A sharp bolt of stinging pain radiated from the back of my head.

_Firssst of all, you will not speak to me like that, remember, I hold your life in my fist. Sssecond, I wasn't going to hurt him. I was simply going to hold him as a hossstage until Lord Garmadon_ _gave__ my snake army back to me. _

"Ouch... And what did you think would happen if Garmadon had him?"

_Quite frankly, I really do not care about that._

"Garmadon could... ouch... take over all of Ninjago with Lloyd in his possesion!"

_He's full of it._

"He's got our golden weapons! Do you have any idea how _much_ he can do with those things? He could wipe out all of the Serpentine if he had a mind to! And he probably will when they're of no more use to him."

My headache became much worse. _That'sss enough out of you! Don't think that I don't know what'sss really going on here._

"What are you talking about?"

_You know what I'm talking about. Your decision._

"Ouch... what decision?"

_You had a choice earlier. It was either I or the boy..._

My headache suddenly lifted.

_...and you chose him over me._

That was true... but where was he going with this? "What are you trying to say, Skales?"

_You know damn well what I mean. You're in love with that child._

When I first heard him say that, I thought it sounded absolutely absurd. "That's ridiculous."

_Even ridiculous things can be true, Cole. You and your preciousss team denied my tribe's exsistence less than a year ago, but just look at yourssself now!_

"That was different. That was a prediction that we just so happened to be wrong on."

_You're getting off-topic. You jussst can't admit how you really feel._

"How can you say that? You don't know how I feel!"

_You forget, Cole. I'm a part of you. I alwaysss know._

"No, you don't!"

_Now you're being defiant. Just like him._

"Look, Skales. Even if I did like him, which I don't, I wouldn't do anything about it. It's sick!"

_Are you hearing yourssself? You're only digging yourself in deeper. _

"Look, I'm not in love with the kid. He's crushing on Kai."

_Is that all that holdsss you back?_

"What? No! I don't love him! Do you hear me? I. Do. Not. Love. Him!"

_Who are you trying to convince, Cole? Me, or yourssself?_

With that, the echoes left my head, and I was alone once again.

For the rest of the night I couldn't sleep, I kept thinking about what Skales had said, about Lloyd. I remember my exact train of thought.

"You're in love with that child. You just can't admit how you really feel. Now you're being defiant."

_Ha, in love. With Lloyd? No way. For one, he's twelve. I'm nineteen. That's seven fucking years! He's a little troublemaker who only cares about himself. He may be Sensei's nephew, but that doesn't mean he gets special privileges from any of us, though he's made the assumption. He's reckless, too! Maybe even more than Kai._

_And that's another thing. He's crushing on Kai, everyone knows that. Even if I liked him, it's not like I could have him. _

_Where does Skales get the idea that I'm in love with Lloyd? It's not like I check him out when no one's looking, or hug him too hard. I think Skales is just jealous because he thinks that Lloyd is determined to ruin his life. Stupid snake._

_No, he's not stupid. He's a smart snake, definitely smarter than Pythor. Maybe it's me that's being overprotective._

I pictured Lloyd in my head. He was a rather slim kid. Slim, but strong. He had the same physique as I did when I was twelve.

_I wonder if he'll grow up to look like me. That might be cool, having a worthy sparring partner around here. _

_Just as long as he doesn't grow up to actually_ be_ like me._

That was something to worry about. He'd already been through many of the things that I'd had to deal with during my childhood. An absent mother, an unsupportive father, pressure from homophobic bullies, running away from an awful school...

_Come to think of it, I really do have a lot in common with him. _

The kid was pretty strong to have survived it all. Strong, but not mature. I was rather mature for my age when I was twelve, not like the kid.

_But then again, I'm still vastly different from my twelve-year-old self. Would Lloyd be anything like himself now in seven years?_

For a little while, I played with that thought in my head, making up little images of him as an adult, listening to him talk about "tax exemption" with a deep man voice. It was a fun little fantasy, and it made me smile. I was genuinely happy inside for a few moments, until I realized what I was thinking.

I opened my eyes and stared at the ceiling. _No... No! It can't be true!_

Jay tossed and whimpered in his sleep, knocking me from my thoughts and reminding me that I wasn't alone.

I looked around the tiny, dank, musty room. Spotting a green nightshirt, I gazed at the sleeping figure. My mind went completely blank. I took a deep, refreshing breath and placed a hand on my own shoulder, feeling a warm tremor flutter through my body like the epicenter of a quake.

_Oh, Cole._ I said to myself. _What have you gotten yourself into?_

I stared at the ceiling for the rest of the night.

* * *

The next day didn't go as well as we had planned. It wasn't much of a surprise that training in the tiny apartment was a challenge.

But at the time, I wasn't really thinking about that. I was thinking about Lloyd. I spent every moment that I wasn't training him observing him.

And you know what? He's a great kid. Eager to learn, picks up material quickly, lots of energy. I really can't wait to see what he looks like when he's fully grown.

I've created all of these new exercises and activities that will build up his strength, and I think they're working. I can already see the budding of powerful shoulders, strong legs, and abs.

I just wish that he wouldn't pay so much attention to Kai.

He's picking up a nasty attitude from him, one that's making him sassy and infuriatingly smug. Classic Kai.

What makes him so special? I mean, don't get me wrong, he's a great friend, an awesome teamate, and he is pretty special in the sense of his legacy as the Ninja of Fire, but I'm special too, y'know?

Arent I, Lloyd?

I try to ignore it, but the way he looks at the fire ninja... it makes my heart ache. It's actually the reason I childishly wish for Kai to disappear.

I wonder if Jay still looks at me like that...

...but that's a story for another day.

Anyway, at this point in my story, I wasn't one hundred percent sure about how I felt about the young Green Ninja. So, I decided to try out a little experiment I had come up with that night I couldn't sleep.

One day, I had the kid to myself for an hour of special one-on-one sparring and strength training. It's kinda frustrating that I'm the only one here besides Sensei that's taking his training seriously. Kai doesn't do this.

"Back-talk's only gonna get you more push-ups, kiddo," I said while chewing on a pine-tasting toothpick that had already been way over-chewed.

Lloyd angrily pressed his lips together and silently counted down. "Ten, nine, eight..."

The last seven push-ups were pretty obviously half-assed. Normally I would have made him do more, but today my body was trembling with anticipation to get to my experiment.

I spat the toothpick into the wastebasket and looked out the window at the pink sky of the summer evening. "Okay, kiddo. I think you can quit for the day."

He jumped up to his feet. "Finally!" He began heading for the door.

I took another deep, unsatisfying breath_. Here we go_. "Lloyd, w-wait!"_ Damn, why does my voice always have to fucking crack like that?_

He looked over his shoulder. "What?"

I began to walk over to him, my footsteps thunking on the ground like bricks, and my heartbeat thunking even louder. Almost over-casually, I swept an arm around his slim waist and brought it up to mine.

I smiled, then did the impossible. I smooched him on the cheek. My lips lingered for a few seconds on the soft skin, and I became lost in ecstacy that lasted only a few seconds, but felt like a million years.

"Agh!" Lloyd spluttered. He jumped out of my grasp and stomped out the door. "You're such a creep, Cole!" he barked before closing the door.

_Yeah. I'm a creep, I'm a weirdo..._ I thought, smiling and leaning against the wall.

I slid to the floor, hugged my knees to my chest and sighed dreamily, thankful that no one was watching me act like a silly schoolgirl pussy.

_Okay, Skales. Maybe you were right..._ I thought. My head was full of stars, and my heart was soaring on the wings of an eagle.

Sounds like a cute little story, right? I can tell you right now that this tale will get much, much worse.

* * *

**This is only the beginning. Do you wish to listen to the whole thing? Or have I disturbed you enough? Let me know in the comments.**

**Playlist:  
"Creep"-Radiohead  
"Beyond Her Tomb"-Glaze  
"On Top"-The Killers  
"Kids"-MGMT  
"Blurry"-Puddle of Mudd  
"Natural One"-Folk Implosion  
Various Tracks from _Pretty Hate Machine_**


End file.
